This Notice provides guidance to Public Health Service (PHS) awardee institutions and applicants regarding the implementation of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition ("Guidelines").

Background
The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) oversees PHS-funded animal activities by the authority of the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 and the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy). The PHS Policy, IV.D., requires that applications and proposals for awards that involve the care and use of animals shall contain a description of any euthanasia method to be used. NIH Grants Policy Statement, Additional Review Criteria, specifies that proposed methods of euthanasia are consistent with the recommendations of the AVMA Guidelines unless adequate scientific justification is provided. Similar requirements apply to contract proposals as prescribed in Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulations, Subpart 370.4.

Implementation of the Updated AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of AnimalsThe AVMA issued and posted an update to the 2007 Guidelines on Euthanasia with a new title, AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition available at https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf (PDF). The PHS Policy requires that euthanasia be conducted according to the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. After September 1, 2013, the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) of grants and contracts must be consistent with the 2013 Guidelines. In their submission to NIH, grant applicants and contract offerors are required to describe any method of euthanasia to be used and the reasons for its selection and to state whether the method proposed is consistent with the 2013 AVMA Guidelines. If the proposed method is not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines, a scientific justification must be included in the VAS.